EDMUNDSON TO SPEAK AT FALL CONVOCATON Mark W. Edmundson, the Daniels Family NEH Distinguished Teaching Professor of Arts & Sciences and an English department faculty member, will speak at Fall Convocation on Oct. 21 at University Hall.

Fall Convocation recognizes undergraduate students for their academic excellence. Intermediate Honors will be presented to the top 20 percent of students who earned at least 60 credits of course work at U.Va. during their first two years.

Edmundson, on leave this year to write a book on Sigmund Freud, said being selected to speak is an honor. “How many chances do you have to talk to all the best of the third-year students?” he said.

A
teacher for more than 25 years, Edmundson is the author of several books, including “Why Read?” and “Teacher: The One Who Made the Difference,” his two most recent on education.

At Fall Convocation, U.Va. President John T. Casteen III will announce the recipient of this year’s Thomas Jefferson Award, U.Va.’s highest honor. It recognizes a member of the University community who exemplifies the ideals of the University’s founder through character, work and devotion.

HELP HURRICANE VICTIMS - MAKE GIFT THROUGH CVC
At Gov. Mark Warner's request, the Commonwealth Campaign of Virginia has set up the Virginia State Employee Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund in support of American Red Cross and Salvation Army relief efforts. To participate:

SERIES OFFERS STUDENTS ACCESS TO DIPLOMATS
As part of its effort to globalize the on-Grounds and international educational experiences for students, U.Va. has created the Diplomat Scholars Program.

Directed by Dr. Leigh B. Grossman, the vice provost for international affairs, this initiative has Washington's leaders coming to the University one day a week to teach at the undergraduate level in their respective areas of expertise and mentor students on careers in diplomatic and international service.

As part of this program, an international career workshop is planned for Sept. 10 in the South Meeting Room of Newcomb Hall at 12:30 p.m. It will feature Pamela E. Bridgewater, Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana, speaking on “A Career in the State Department”; Hugh P. Brady, staff worker for 14 years on the House Armed Services Committee, speaking on “A Career on Capitol Hill”; Polly Nayak, a 20-year CIA veteran and South Asia expert who briefed the White House on worldwide intelligence developments, speaking on “A Career in the Intelligence Community”; Leonard H. Robinson Jr., the first U.Va. Diplomat Scholar, who also is president of the Africa Society and former deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, speaking on “A Career in International Development and Diplomacy”; and Michael Krepon, a U.Va. Diplomat Scholar, who is co-founder of the Henry L. Stimson Center and an expert on South Asia and nuclear nonproliferation issues, speaking on a “A Career in Nongovernmental Organizations.”

This workshop is open to the public.

FACULTY SENATE SETS FALL DATES
The Faculty Senate will meet twice during the term, Sept. 27 and Dec. 8. The meetings will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Meeting sites have not yet been selected. More information will be featured at www.virginia. edu/facultysenate/facmeet.html.

‘CRY_WOLF’ SCREENING TO BENEFIT FILM FESTIVAL AND CANCER CENTER
To celebrate the national release of “Cry_Wolf,” the directorial debut of Charlottesville native Jeff Wadlow, he and leading actress Lindy Booth will attend a special screening of the film on Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. at Newcomb Hall Theater. Proceeds from the event, including a Q&A session, will benefit the Virginia Film Festival and the U.Va. Clinical Care Cancer Center.

Tickets for the “Cry_Wolf” screening are $10 for the general public and $8 with a U.Va. student ID. Tickets will be available by phone at 924-7314, in person at U.Va.’s Newcomb Hall Theater box office, or online at www.vafilm.com. The screening is a special presentation of the weekly UPC Cinematheque series.

FOXFIELD TO FUNNEL FUNDS TO FILM FESTIVAL
The Virginia Film Festival will benefit from proceeds raised at the Family Day at the Foxfield Races on Sept. 25.

The Film Festival will host the Fall Foxfield Gala on Sept. 23 at Keswick Hall. Called “Raising the Bar,” it will celebrate horses in cinema with a special tribute to local equestrian legend Harry de Leyer, now 77, who rode “Snowman,” an unpedigreed grey he had saved from slaughter for a mere $80, to championship glory and national fame in the 1950s.

The special black-tie event will include dinner, dancing, a trophy presentation and live auction. For more information, contact Janet Matthews at 243-6782 or festdev@virginia.edu.

POLICIES
The following policies have been approved recently and added to the directory of policies. For more information, call Lynn Mitchell, at 924-4037 or visit http://www.virginia.edu/uvapolicies/.

Utilization of Radioactive Materials sets forth a safety program required by U.Va.’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission license permitting use of radioactive materials at U.Va.

Radiation Protection during Pregnancy ensures compliance with Code of Federal Regulations and the U.Va.’s license to use radioactive material and protects developing fetuses from health risks associated with high radiation exposure.

Laser Safety provides protection from exposure of the eye and skin to hazardous levels of laser radiation and other hazards associated with operating laser devices.

Cut Trees bans use of live cut trees in state-owned and leased facilities to reduce fire risk posed to University buildings and occupants. Departments must use UL listed artificial trees.

Academic Honorarium Payments to Short-term, Non-Immigrant Aliens guides honorarium payments or travel reimbursements to short-term, non-immigrant alien visitors to the University. The policy assists in compliance with U.S. immigration and tax laws.

Health and Safety assures health and safety of individuals on U.Va. controlled or managed properties. Assists compliance with state and federal laws and regulations on health and safety.

Environmental Management ensures facilities are in compliance with applicable environmental regulations and minimizing impact on local environment.

MORENO TO DISCUSS HIS EXPERIENCE AS A HOSPITAL ETHICIST AT BOOK SIGNINGS
Jonathan D. Moreno, director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics, will discuss his experiences as a hospital ethicist at two local book signings to promote his new book, “Is There an Ethicist in the House? On the Cutting Edge of Bioethics.” The book signings will be held at the U.Va. Bookstore on Sept. 20 at 5 p.m. and at New Dominion Book Shop on Oct. 11 at 5 p.m.

Moreno also will sign books and moderate a panel on bioethics at the Center for American Progress, where he is a senior fellow, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 3 at 10 a.m.

An authority on biomedical ethics, Moreno thinks philosophers, particularly those working in rapidly changing fields of medicine, have a crucial role. Emerging technology in medicine and scientific research offer benefits, but also pose powerful challenges to society.

“How do we strike a humane balance between helping to advance medicine while doing no harm — medically, psychologically or morally?” Moreno asks. “Who decides, and how?”

His book — part memoir, part philosophy, part science, part case study — addresses these questions and illustrates the growing need for ethical awareness in an increasingly technological world.

For more information about the book, aimed at medical professionals, scholars and general readers confronting life-and-death decisions, call Charlene Kaufman at 924-5974.

LOCAL AUTHOR FEATURED AT FILM FESTIVAL
Best-selling local author John Grisham will be a featured guest at the 18th annual Virginia Film Festival, Oct. 27-30. With the theme IN/JUSTICE, the festival will feature more than 70 films and 80 guest artists and speakers.
The lawyer-turned-novelist will appear onstage with Hollywood Reporter critic and author Duane Byrge, discussing the film adaptations of Grisham’s novels and his experiences taking a book to screen. Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Rainmaker,” adapted from a Grisham novel, will be screened Oct. 30.

The festival will present several national or regional debuts, including “Nine Lives,” starring Glenn Close, Sissy Spacek and Holly Hunter, accompanied by its director, Rodrigo Garcia; “Manderlay,” directed by Lars von Trier and starring Danny Glover; “The Untold Story of Emmet Till”; and “Sophie Scholl,” an acclaimed German feature from Zeitgeist Films about an anti-Nazi resister.

Jon Langford of the punk rock band The Mekons and the alt-country band The Waco Brothers will present “The Executioner’s Last Songs,” a multi-media performance featuring murder ballads set against Langford’s own artwork. Silent film legend Harold Lloyd will be serenaded as Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton provide live musical accompaniment to Lloyd’s crime-fighting comedy “The Kid Brother.”

The Adrenaline Film Project, led by Jeff Wadlow and Beau Bauman, the director and producer of the upcoming “Cry_Wolf,” is a three-day filmmaking blitz by 27 local filmmakers, culminating Sunday with a screening at Culbreth Theatre.

The complete schedule for the festival will be released on Sept. 29, and tickets will go on sale on Sept. 30. For information visit http://www.vafilm.com.